Being a Parent
by eljay345
Summary: Baze, Lux, Cate and Ryan are just getting used to each other. What happens when Lux brings home a new boy and Ryan oversteps his bounds? Sorry I'm not very good with summaries! Please read and review! I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!
1. Chapter 1

Baze waited patiently in the car outside his daughter's school. He couldn't believe that it had only taken a month to get into a comfortable father-daughter routine. He had gone from getting to bed 6 to waking up at 6. Every morning he took Lux took school and picked her up in the afternoon. Cate, Lux's mother, allowed her to spend every other weekend at his apartment as long as she didn't hang out in the bar.

He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed Lux approaching the car. Baze quickly snapped out of this thoughts.

"How was school?" he asked as she settled herself in the passenger seat.

"It was school," said Lux as she propped her feet on the dashboard. "I can't wait til tonight!"

"What are you doin tonight?" questioned Baze.

"Bug is taking me out for our anniversary," said Lux.

Baze grimaced at the mention of his daughter's boyfriend. He was surprised how fast the fatherly instincts had come on. He'd always thought that he would be very cool about his kids dating. "Does Cate know about this?"

"No…." said Lux slowly. "I was hoping that you would talk to her….maybe tell her that I was going to have dinner with you."

Baze raised his eyebrows and looked at Lux. "I'm not lying for you, Lux. I can't believe that you would even ask. Cate is already nervous about you spending every other weekend with me. I'm not going to risk that by letting you go out with some punk."

"He's not just 'some punk!'" said Lux in an exasperated voice. "Maybe I won't want to come over if you won't help me."

As soon as Baze pulled up to Cate's house Lux jumped out, slammed the door and ran into the house. Baze sighed and followed her with his hands stuffed in his pockets.


	2. Chapter 2

Cate Cassidy was finishing up some bills when her 16 year-old daughter burst through the front door and up the stairs to her room.

"What's wrong?" called Cate as Baze came in through the open door and closed it.

"She's mad at me." Said Baze sheepishly.

"What did you do?" asked Cate.

"It's what I won't do," said Baze shrugging his shoulders. "I said I wouldn't cover for her. She wanted to go out with Bug tonight. I know she's not supposed to see him."

"Thanks for backing me up with this Baze," said Cate gratefully. "I just don't feel comfortable after what happened with Jones. He isn't good for her and I think in time she will see that."

"I hope you're right," said Baze.

At that moment Ryan, Cate's fiance, came in through the back door. He shook Baze's hand and kissed Cate. Cate and Baze filled Ryan in on the situation.

"Well she's not going and she'll get over it," said Ryan as he poured himself some water.

"I'm glad we're all on the same page," said Baze. "I'm going to go try to say goodbye."

He walked up the attic stairs and found his daughter sitting on her bed cross legged on her bed. Baze knocked on the wall and Lux's eyes flashed up from the book she was reading.

"I don't want to talk," said Lux in an exasperated tone.

"Well I do," said Baze as he sat on the chair next to her bed. "Lux….Cate, Ryan and I only want to do what's best for you. Bug has done some things that we don't like. I'm sorry that you are upset, but you cannot try to get one of us on our own to agree with you."

"Okay," said Lux as she rolled her eyes.

Baze got up and kissed her forehead, then went downstairs to head home.

"Lux!" called Ryan. "Dinner's ready."

Lux came into the room and settled herself at the table.

"Did you have a good day?" asked Cate skeptically. She though it was weird that Lux was acting as if nothing had happened.

"It was okay," said Lux.

"Did you get your Geometry test back yet?" asked Cate.

"uh huh." Said Lux with a less careless attitude.

"And…" said Cate.

"I got a D," mumbled Lux.

"What!" said Cate as she exchanged looks with Ryan.

"I didn't have very much time to study," said Lux. "It was Tasha's birthday and I was taking her present over."

"Well tonight you need to get some studying done," said Cate as she took her dish to the sink. And I want you to bring your stuff to the kitchen table so that I know you aren't upstairs texting all night."

Lux shoved away from the table and stomped over to her book bag.

"Lux, you can be as dramatic about this as you want," said Cate, "but you are still going to get this studying done."

Lux muttered something under her breath.

"Lux…" said Ryan in a warning tone.

Lux looked from Ryan to Cate and decided that it wasn't worth the fight. She settled down with her notes and studied for the first time in a while.

Cate and Ryan settled down on the couch to watch T.V.

'Thank you,' Cate mouthed to Ryan. He responded with a quick kiss on her forehead.

At about 10 o'clock Lux closed her books and went over to say goodnight to Ryan and Cate. Then she went upstairs, but not to go to sleep. She waited until she heard their bedroom door shut and then she crept to her window and watched for Bug's bike. She had texted him and he was coming to get her.


	3. Chapter 3

When Lux saw Bug's bike pull up in front of the house she took a deep breath and then climbed out her bedroom window. When she got to the ground she ran over and hopped onto the back of the bike and they sped off towards Bug's apartment.

A couple of weeks later.

Cate walked into the kitchen and the smell of pancakes and bacon met her nose. "That smells amazing," said Cate as she wrapped her arms around Ryan's waist.

"Thanks," said Ryan before he planted a kiss on her lips. "Lux has been doing so well with studying lately, I thought that I would make her some pancakes before her big test."

"You're wonderful," said Cate as she took her own plate to the table.

"Lux," called Ryan, "breakfast is ready."

They heard the attic stairs come down and soon Lux walked into the kitchen, fully dressed for school, but still slightly bleary eyed.

"Pancakes!" she said as she settled her self at the table. "Thanks Ryan."

"Any time kiddo." Said Ryan. "You ready for your test?"

"Kinda," said Lux nervously.

"You are definitely ready," said Kate. "You have done nothing but study for weeks."

"We'll see," said Lux as she got up and headed for the door.

"You hardly touched your breakfast," said Ryan.

"Baze is picking me up early because I have a study session before school," said Lux over her shoulder. She was out the door before Cate or Ryan could say anything.

"She's been going to a lot of early study sessions lately," said Ryan.

"Yeah," said Cate. "I don't quite know how she's getting Baze to wake up so early.

Cate and Ryan finished their breakfast and then got ready to go to work.

"I'm so glad that the station has us starting later in the morning," said Cate as they got into the car. "I really like to be here when Lux leaves for school."

They were almost to the station when Cate's cellphone rang.

"Hey Baze," answered Cate.

"Hey, can you tell Lux that I'm sorry she will have to take the bus this morning," said Baze. "I woke up a little late."

"What are you talking about," said a bewildered Cate. "She had a study session this morning and she said that you were picking her up. Just like every morning for the last few weeks."

"Cate….I haven't taken Lux to school in a while," said Baze. "She said that you guys have been taking her because you've been going into the station later."

Cate and Baze decided they would confront Lux together after school.

"So she's been lying all this time!" said a very frustrated Ryan after Cate had hung up the phone. "What the hell is going on??"

"Bug," said Cate decidedly. "It has something to do with Bug."

"I thought we told her she wasn't allowed to see him anymore," said Ryan.

"Well obviously she doesn't care about the rules we put out for her," said Cate.

What do you guys think???? I'm changing it a little bit, but there will be a new guy for Lux eventually. Pleas read and review


	4. Chapter 4

At about 3:45 that afternoon Bug went to get Lux from school as planned. She had of course bombed her Geometry to test because all of the times she had pretended to be studying she had been at Bug's apartment. She got on the back of his bike and he took her to his apartment.

Half an hour later they were deep into a make out session. Bug settled himself between her legs and started deepening the kisses. Ever so slowly he reached down and started unbuttoning her jeans.

"Bug." Said Lux. "Stop."

"Come on," said Bug as he kissed her neck. "You know you want to."

"No I really don't," said Lux as she pushed him off of herself and stood up.

"What's your problem?" asked Bug.

"I just want it to be special," said Lux slowly.

"And what I'm not special enough for you?" demanded Bug.

"Shut up!" said Lux. "You're just picking a fight with me.

At that moment Bug stood up and gave Lux a shove. She fell into a bookcase and crumpled to the floor.

"Lux…I'm sorry," said Bug as he tried to help her up.

"Don't touch me," said Lux. She got up and ran out of his apartment.

When she got downstairs she pulled up her shirt and noticed that new bruises were forming where she had hit the bookcase…but they weren't the only ones. When Bug lost his temper sometimes he got a little rough. There were old bruises on her arms…he only hit her in places she could cover up. She went outside and hopped on a bus that would take her relatively close to Cate's.

"What are we going to say to her?" asked Baze as he peered out the window for the 100th time.

"We are going to be completely forward with everything," said Cate. She had sent Ryan home earlier. This was something she and Baze needed to do alone.

At that moment Lux came into the house with her head down as she made her way towards the attic stairs.

"Lux," said Cate. "Come in here please."

Lux hadn't realized that her parents were home. They were never home at this time of day.

"Hey," said Lux. "What's up?" She sat down in a chair opposite Baze and Cate. She noticed that they both looked really serious. "Is something wrong?"

"You could say that," said Baze, his temper getting the better of him. "This morning I was running late to pick you up, so I called Cate. We were both a little surprised to find out that you haven't been riding with you either of us thought you were for a while….so where the hell have been?

"I can explain…" said Lux slowly.

"Don't explain," said Cate. "Just tell us the truth.

"You wouldn't let me see him," said Lux. "So I started seeing him in the mornings…I didn't think you would find out…..I'm really sorry."

"Lux…." Said Baze in an exasperated voice. "I don't even know what to say. I thought we were done with all of this sneaking around."

"I'm sorry," said Lux softly. "It won't happen again."

"You're damn straight it won't," said Baze. "You're grounded until further notice."

Lux whirled around an d tried to get out of the room, but Baze stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Ahhh," she said. Flinching away because her skin was tender.

Immediately Baze released her. "Lux," he said. But she was already up the stairs and into the attic.

"I hardly touched her," said Baze.

"Let me try," said Cate.

She went upstairs and found Lux rubbing her arms on her bed.

"Let me see," said Cate. When she looked at her daughters arms she saw bruises new and old and handprints. The same with her back.

"Oh Lux," said Cate. "Has he been doing this for a long time?"

Lux only nodded. "He just gets frustrated…"

"Lux," said Cate firmly. "No one has the right to hit you. Do you understand me?"

"He loves me," said Lux.

"No," said Cate. "This isn't love." She gesstured to the bruises as she spoke.

Cate gave Lux a quick kiss and then when downstairs to talk to Baze.

"I'll kill," said Baze as Ryan came in the front door.

"Who?" asked Ryan as he settled himself next to Cate on the sofa.

"Bug," said Cate. "Baze sit down. It won't do any good."

"So she was with Bug," said Ryan.

"Yep," said Baze. "And besides whatever else they were doing he was hitting her."

"What?!?!?" said an astonished Ryan.

"I knew he wasn't good for her," said Cate. "We have to keep them apart, but I don't know how."

"For starters we're moving her to the guestroom," said Ryan. "She can't sneak out from down here."

"And I will take her to school everyday, no matter what," said Baze.


End file.
